


La Vie En Rose

by coffeestains_and_oldbooks



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 17:46:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20362549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeestains_and_oldbooks/pseuds/coffeestains_and_oldbooks
Summary: Soul reflects on his life when Maka first enters it and what led up to his life now. Human AU





	La Vie En Rose

**Author's Note:**

> I found the early beginnings of this in my google docs during psych one day. I don't know what my original plan for this was going to be, as it was started far too long ago, and maybe I never will remember, but I'm pretty pleased with what I made it in the end. Enjoy.

He first laid eyes on her first day of first semester, in his morning class. She was new, that was obvious. He’d never seen her before in the prior three years he’d been going here. At first he pitied her, transferring to the hardest school in the state her senior year, but that ended as soon as the first test was given and she passed with flying colors. The professor gushed about her scores being the highest and she beamed, practically radiating with pride at her accomplishment. 

Previously it had been Kid who held the highest scores. Soul knew that if he had been knocked out of first he would have been furious, but Kid didn’t seem to mind. He was amazed that someone showed the ability to surpass him and so he and the new girl became fast friends, bonding over a mutual appreciation for academics. 

After that he started paying more attention to her. Noticing her ticks and habits. He couldn’t help it, there was just something about her that interested him. He watched her take notes, a different notebook for each subject, with colored pens and highlighters. From his spot behind her he noticed how neat her handwriting was, how detailed her notes were. She never wrote in shorthand, but she wrote quickly, quick enough to get everything down before the professor moved on. 

She finished her work quickly, quicker than everyone else who dawdled and chattered while they worked through their papers at a snail's pace. After she finished working she always pulled out a book to read to pass the remaining time. She read fast, flipping pages in under a minute it seemed. She had a new book every week. Sometimes she finished a book while in class, and instantly pulled out a new one. He didn’t understand how something on paper could be so interesting to her.

He learned her name the first day of school. Maka Albarn. The family name was familiar, but he didn’t think to hard on it. She dressed like she had money, so whoever her parents were, they seemed to be well off. She had all the makings of a stereotypical smart rich girl, not that he had room to talk. His family was wealthy but he didn’t like talking about that. 

He didn’t speak to her until the day before they went on thanksgiving break. She sat inside the large building, huddled away in a corner of one of the hallways, her legs pulled to her chest and her nose buried in a book, like usual. The school was deserted, classes for the day had ended a long time ago. Outside, the desert sun was setting, sending shades of pinks and oranges into the school. He thought he was the only one who stayed after this late, but here she was with her bouncing, sandy pigtails and her emerald eyes shifting over every word on the page of the book in her small, pale hands. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little late to be at school?” Soul asked. 

She jumped at his voice, pulled from the words on the pages in front of her. She stared at him like she was confused someone else could be at the school this late. Her eyes glittered with what he thought could be intrigue or curiosity, but she made no move to answer him. 

“Hello?” He waved his hand in front of her face. 

She shook her head, snapping out of whatever reverie she was in. “Sorry, I just didn’t think I’d see anyone else here.” 

“Is there any specific reason you’re here this late?” He asked.

Her eyes flashed for a moment. She looks almost disgusted, saddened by whatever kept her here. 

“I’m waiting.” Was all she answered with. Soul knew that there was more to it than that, but something in him told him not to pry just this once. She spoke again before he had a chance to come up with something else to say. “Why are you here?” 

It was his turn to search for an answer. Would it be wise to tell her the truth? He never really told anyone else, played the part of the rebel against his family’s wishes, but behind closed doors went along with everything they said. Something told him he couldn’t hide anything from her. Something told him to tell the truth. So he did. 

“I was in the music room, playing the piano.” 

“This late.” She looked puzzled. 

“I always stay late to play, I don’t really want anyone else hearing me.”

This made her look all the more puzzled. “Why?”

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to delve into a long winded speech telling her his whole life story so he gave her the short answer. “It’s complicated.”

  
She seemed to understand, given her hesitance earlier to tell him why and what she was waiting for. All of a sudden something seemed to click in her. 

  
“I’m Maka by the way.” She stood. 

“Soul.” Of course he already knew her but he wouldn’t dare say so for fear of coming across as creepy. 

“Oh, Soul.” She thought a moment. “Kid’s talked about you before. Anyway, it's nice to meet you.” 

“Maka.” Called a voice from down the hall. She turned her head, her ash blonde pigtails swinging with her. Soul’s head followed. He took in the sight before him. The new assistant principal, whatever his name was, strode down the hall towards them. His red hair caught the fading sunlight making him seem a lot more ominous than he probably was. 

“I have to go, it was a pleasure meeting you Soul.” She hurried to the man’s side. They talked, nothing that Soul could hear due to how far they were from him now, but he was sure that the man sent him a harsh glare. 

He started talking to her a lot more after that day until they became close friends. By winter, Soul spent more time with her than he spent with any of his other friends. He learned after the first day he talked to her that the man she left with was her father and that she moved to this school because he got a job as the assistant principal. From the way she talked about him it was clear that he wasn’t her favorite person in the world. Everyday she would spend her hours after school, tucked in her corner with a book in her hand. 

The first time he saw her cry was one of the most heartbreaking things he had ever seen. Soul himself was typically strong willed, he wasn’t affected by other people’s feelings as easily as most were. But there was something about seeing someone as equally strong willed as Maka cry. 

She sat in her corner, a book gripped in her hand, as usual, but something was different. She gripped the book until her knuckles turned white. Her eyes weren’t focused on the pages. They welled with tears that threatened to spill if she let her guard down enough to let them, but she willed them not to fall. 

“Maka?” His voice came out soft, softer than he had heard him talk before and it startled him. 

She looked up at him shocked. He felt a strong sense of deja vu. The look she gave him was almost mirrored to the look she gave him when they first met, only this time those brilliant green eyes were filled with tears. He felt a pang in his chest. 

“Is everything alright?” He hated himself for the question, which had an obvious answer. But it was all he could think of to say. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the white sweater she wore and gave him a smile. 

“Of course.” 

“Don’t lie to me, I know you’re not.” He slid down the wall next to her. He watched her struggle to come up with what to do next. 

“My parents are getting divorced.” She said finally. The dam broke and tears streaked her pale face. She had told him about her broken family before. Not much, just bits and pieces but enough to tell him that it wasn’t a stable situation. 

She put her face in her hands. “I know I should have seen this coming but it’s still hard.” 

He wasn’t sure what to say. There was one thing that he could do, something that always made him a little bit happier when he was down. He stood and offered a hand to her. She looked up at him quizzically.

“I want to show you something.” He said. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her to her feet. “It something that helps me when I’m feeling down.” He led her down the empty halls, her hand still in his, and into the music room. The grand piano sat in the corner of the room, a gift to the school from Soul’s parents when his older brother graduated. 

He sat down at it’s ivory keys and invited her to join him. She complied. He had never played for anyone before, apart from childhood piano recitals and his family. He hoped that his many years of practice would be enough to cheer her up. There was one song he had in mind to play her, one that he had grown up playing.

He positioned his fingers and launched into the soft piece he had planned to play. La Vie En Rose. He danced over the smooth surface of each key, eliciting the beautiful melodies from the instrument. He chanced a glance to the girl that sat beside him. The tears in her eyes were replaced with so much wonder and excitement. It filled her with life and she looked as if at any moment she would jump up and dance and sing along with the music that he coerced from the piano. 

Eventually the song came to an end, but the wonder stayed. After a moment she let out a noise of excitement. 

“Soul, that was beautiful!” She gasped. 

“Thank you.” Why was he sheepish all of a sudden? He felt a blush creep up his neck and blossom onto his face. 

“Why don’t you play for other people?” 

He knew the question was coming. “It’s something my family expects of me. If I don’t play in front of others, they can’t live vicariously through me I guess. I don’t really know how to explain it.” 

Despite his reasoning not quite making any sense, she nodded like she understood perfectly. And maybe she did. Family wasn’t a good topic of conversation for either of them and so she didn’t push it any further. Instead all she said was, “Thank you.” 

He looked at her confused. “Thank you?”

“For cheering me up.” 

“Oh, of course, it’s nothing really.” The sheepish attitude returned. And then she did something that he’d never thought a girl would do. She leaned over and placed the softest kiss on his cheek. 

“I really appreciate it, I mean it.” She stood from the piano bench. “I should get going, my dad is going to start to wonder where I am. Bye Soul.” She waved and turned hurrying out the door. 

He sat there stunned and placed his hand over his cheek. It was just an act of appreciation, why was he so hung up on it? His heart raced in his chest. He didn’t understand it. 

Everyday after that point, the pair sat at the piano afterschool, Soul playing, and Maka listening. They sat and played and listened and talked about everything and nothing at the same time. Soul cherished every moment he spent with her, every quiet evening spent hidden away in the music room together. He never wanted the time they spent together to end, but he knew that eventually she would have to make the choice between going with her mom or staying with her dad, which was most likely not going to happen. 

It was the day before Christmas break when she rushed into the music room in tears. Her face was red and her eyes were puffy and she struggled to catch her breath between running and crying. Soul jumped from his seat at the piano and he enveloped her in his arms. 

“Maka, what is it? What’s wrong?” His voice came out frantic. 

“She left, my mom left.” She said in between sobs. “She didn’t even give me a choice to go with her.” 

He held her close to him, resting his head on hers. He waited for her to calm down before speaking again. “I’m sorry Maka.” Was all he could think of to say. 

“It’s not your fault, I just don’t understand why she left.” She sighed. 

Soul thought a moment. He put himself into the shoes of a parent. “Maybe she wanted you to stay in a stable place. Maybe she didn’t want you to have to move again after you’ve made friends.” 

Maka nodded. “Maybe you’re right.” She sniffled and rubbed at her eyes with closed fists. “I’m sorry you had to see me like this.” 

He smiled. He wanted to say a million things to her. Wanted to tell her that no matter what she was the prettiest girl he had ever laid eyes on. It had taken him awhile to realize it, but since the first moment he had spoken to her, Soul had felt himself falling for her. 

He led her to the piano and they sat and Soul began the song that had started their music room escapades. The familiar tune lifted from the piano and into the air, dancing around their heads like a skilled ballerina. He felt Maka rest her head on his shoulder, and he smiled. For a little while they sat like that together, even after the song had ended until finally Maka broke the silence. 

“Thank you.” She whispered. 

He only laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. She seemed to be debating over something with herself. 

“Are you alright?” He asked. She let out a sigh. 

“I’m fine. I’m just trying to decide whether or not I want to do something.” 

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. She let out another sigh. 

“Fuck it.” She whispered. She lifted her head and pressed a kiss to Soul’s lips. Soul felt the blush he knew all too well rise to his face. She moved back to gauge his reaction. 

“Soul?” She asked, a bit hesitant. He blinked in shock. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Was he dreaming? No, no dream could feel this real. Maka waved her hand in front of his face, as he had the first time they had talked. 

He snapped out of his thoughts and placed a hand on Maka’s cheek, pulling her face close to his, he kissed her. They pulled apart from each other and Maka rested her forehead on Soul’s. 

“Soul, promise me that no matter what happens, we’ll be there for each other.” Maka said. 

Soul knew where the request was coming from. It came from the hurt that her mom had left, from the hurt her dad caused from letting her mom leave. “I promise.” He said. And he meant it. 

A year had passed since that day. Soul held a cardboard box in his hands as he reflected on what had led up to this moment. 

“Soul, are you coming?” Maka asked. She held the door to their apartment complex open with her back and in her arms was a small black kitten named Blair, a gift from her father. 

“Yeah, I’m just grabbing the last box.” He called back. If you had told him that he would be moving into an apartment complex with a girl he had met a little over a year ago, he would tell you that you were crazy. But here he was, setting the last box of his things down in an almost empty living room with the girl he had fallen for standing next to him. And he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

  
  



End file.
